Being on IGN

With all the talk and recent happenings with IGN being purchased by Ziff Davis, things that I have often pondered have been brought to the forefront.

But first, some back story: A few months ago I graduated University after many years of study and wanted to spend time devoted to something I wanted to do. I felt that the intense study to get my bachelors’ degree pushed my love of gaming to the side, so I decided to write about Video Games as much as I could. After writing extremely formal and strict research reports for four years, the freedom of editorial content was a bit hard to adapt to, but I enjoyed it so much.

Since starting on this quest I have been able to get a handful of paid gigs, mainly for smaller outlets based in my country of New Zealand. As a whole I’ve been living off savings and all the whimsical jobs I can get. Despite working hard to get my degree in IT, getting a job as a Cisco engineer or systems analyst isn’t something I was eager to jump into.

Trying to be a writer in this area is extremely difficult, so just like most people would suggest, I started self-publishing what I could. I did put stuff on many places (including 1UP - Long Live 1UP!), but settled on IGN.

I’m now not sure if I’m comfortable with putting stuff here on IGN.

The articles and features that I write might not seem like much, but I do put significant time and effort into making them. I do the best I can, but like everyone I’m always learning how to be better.

Even after reading the fine print, I’m unsure if I retain the rights to the content I publish here. I’m also worried about what the future holds for IGN after being purchased by Ziff Davis.

• What can happen to the content and information I put into IGN, and do I have any say in it?
• Could the ‘streamlining’ that IGN is currently undergoing result in the user blogs being changed or even removed?
• Can any guarantees be given about these things?

I doubt it; I don’t think even the most senior people working at IGN knows what Ziff Davis and their parent company, J2 Global, fully has planned for the future.

I notice some high profile IGN bloggers maintain both a My IGN blog and an independent blog that cover mostly the same things. This seems to be an attempt to have their cake and eat it too, being able to have an independent front while still getting the attention that being part of IGN provides. It seems like a way to split your resources and attention. I’d rather focus on one thing.

I also wonder that if IGN is such a great place to blog content, why is it that when an editor departs IGN they almost immediately abandon their IGN blogs and start an independent one?

I’m also not sure if having all this content under the IGN umbrella is the best thing for the sake of credentials.

I understand that putting content here on My IGN is the difference between getting four comments on an article and getting none at all. The comments and discussion that comes with an article is the best part, I love getting feedback and hearing other peoples opinions on topics and features.

I love IGN. As my profile will show you, it’s coming up on the 10th anniversary since I first registered - something that I can hold over almost all of IGN’s current staff. I have tremendous respect for all the people behind IGN; don’t think that what I’m saying here is in any way an attack on IGN.

Sorry for raving on. Right now most of you still reading this think I’m paranoid and have poor grammar. It’s been a long day for me. If you can articulate what I’m saying, I’d love your thoughts. Comment below, or if you’d prefer you can email me: aaronights[at]gmail.com.